There are moments when a nation is called upon to remember not only where it came from, but also what it stands for.
Wednesday night was one such moment.
The Cuba Solidarity Gala Dinner, hosted by Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare and organised through his office in collaboration with the Namibia-Cuba Solidarity Association, was much more than another formal dinner on Windhoek’s social calendar. It was an attempt to transform Namibia’s historic friendship with Cuba into practical assistance at a time when the Cuban people are experiencing severe economic and humanitarian difficulties.
By that measure, the evening was a success.
The gala raised approximately N$2.6 million through ticket sales and pledges, against an initial target of N$5 million. More importantly, it brought together the President, Vice President, Speaker of the National Assembly, Cabinet ministers, diplomats, business leaders, state-owned enterprises, former Cuban students and ordinary Namibians around a cause that transcends party politics.
That achievement deserves recognition.
Prime Minister Ngurare deserves particular credit for taking the initiative to bring the campaign to this level.
It would have been easy to speak about Namibia’s historical relationship with Cuba, to issue a statement of solidarity and move on. Instead, the Prime Minister chose to convene people, put the issue before the nation and create a mechanism through which solidarity could become tangible.
That is leadership. It is also worth remembering what Cuba has meant to Namibia.
Our relationship with Cuba was forged under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. Cuban internationalism played a significant role in the liberation struggles of Southern Africa, including the military engagement associated with the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale. After independence, the relationship expanded into health, education, agriculture, engineering, sport and other areas of cooperation. President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah reminded the gala that Namibia’s relationship with Cuba is rooted in sacrifices made during the struggle for liberation.
The President put the matter particularly powerfully when she said Namibia was “duty-bound” to Cuba and that what the country was doing was not about repaying a debt that could ever be fully repaid, but fulfilling a moral responsibility. That is an important distinction.
Solidarity is not a commercial transaction.
It is not about calculating whether the recipient once did something for us and determining the monetary value of that contribution.
It is about recognising that nations, like individuals, sometimes need a helping hand. And Cuba needs help.
Reports from the island describe severe shortages affecting electricity, fuel, food, water and medical supplies. Reuters recently reported that deteriorating infrastructure and power shortages have contributed to worsening health risks, including increased intestinal illnesses and diarrhoea. Against this background, Namibia’s contribution may appear modest when measured against the scale of Cuba’s challenges.
But humanitarian solidarity should never be dismissed because the first contribution is not large enough. The N$2.6 million raised is meaningful.
The campaign had already mobilised approximately N$1 million before the gala, while Cuban Ambassador Sergio Vigoa de la Uz said about two tonnes of medical supplies had already been procured and were ready for shipment.
This means the campaign is not merely about promises. There is already something tangible to show for it.
And there is more that can be done.
The N$5 million target should not become a ceiling. Minister Emma Theofelus correctly argued that it should become a floor. That is precisely the attitude Namibia needs.
The gala should therefore be seen as the beginning of a broader national mobilisation rather than its conclusion. Corporates can contribute. Professional associations can contribute.
Former students who studied in Cuba can contribute. Trade unions, churches, civil society organisations, farmers, artists and ordinary citizens can contribute.
And those who cannot contribute financially can contribute by helping tell the story of why this relationship matters. Because this campaign is also about memory.
There is a danger that younger Namibians will inherit the benefits of independence without fully understanding the sacrifices that made it possible.
Minister Theofelus made this point at the gala, stressing the importance of ensuring that the story of Cuba and the shared history between the two countries continues to be told to younger generations.
That is important.
A nation that forgets those who stood with it in difficult times risks becoming a nation that remembers friendship only when it is convenient.
Namibia should not be that country.
At the same time, solidarity does not require us to romanticise another country or ignore complexity. It requires us to distinguish between governments, politics and ordinary human beings.
Whatever one’s views about Cuban politics, the immediate beneficiaries of medical supplies and humanitarian assistance are ordinary Cuban people.
Children.
Patients.
Families.
Doctors.
Nurses.
People who did not choose the circumstances in which they were born.
That is why the humanitarian argument must remain at the centre.
The gala also demonstrated the value of bringing different sectors of Namibian society together.
More than 400 people attended, making it a sold out event. More people wanted to purchase tables.
The presence of the country’s highest political leadership alongside businesses, diplomats, former students and civil society sent an important message: solidarity does not belong to one political party or one generation.
It belongs to Namibia.
There will, inevitably, be questions about the campaign. There should be. Any fundraising initiative involving significant sums of money must be transparent, properly accounted for and subject to appropriate governance.
The announcement at the gala of a possible additional N$17 million contribution from an unidentified donor also requires clarity. The Prime Minister announced the figure during the proceedings, while his spokesperson subsequently said the Office of the Prime Minister was focusing on funds raised during the gala. That discrepancy should ultimately be resolved through transparent confirmation of what has actually been pledged, received and allocated.
Transparency will strengthen, rather than weaken, the campaign.
But those questions should not obscure the larger achievement.
Namibia has demonstrated that it can still respond to an old friend in distress.
Prime Minister Ngurare deserves credit for putting the issue on the national agenda and creating the platform for that response.
The organisers deserve credit for turning an idea into an event capable of mobilising substantial support.
And the Namibian public deserves credit for responding.
Now we should do more.
Let N$2.6 million be the beginning.
Let the N$5 million target be surpassed.
Let every Namibian who remembers Cuba’s role in our liberation ask what they can contribute.
And let those who were not alive during that period learn why the relationship exists in the first place.
History is not only something we commemorate with speeches and monuments.
Sometimes history calls upon us to act.
Cuba stood with Namibia when Namibia needed friends.
Today, Cuba is going through its own difficult hour.
Namibia cannot solve Cuba’s problems.
But we can help.
And sometimes, that is what friendship means.
We were not alone when we needed solidarity. Cuba was there. Now it is our turn to say: Cuba is not alone.
